Palliative care isn’t ‘giving up’
Dispel misconceptions
The CEO of Galway Hospice is looking to dispel several misconceptions around palliative care, chief among them that it is just for cancer patients and those close to death.
Palliative care is a specialised form of medical care focused on providing relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious or life-limiting illness.
However, new research commissioned by the All-Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) has revealed only six in ten people in Ireland believe palliative care can support someone with a serious or life-limiting illness.
“I think a big problem we have in Ireland is that the words palliative care strikes fear into people when it’s mentioned,” stated Galway Hospice CEO Mary Nash, who was speaking to The Tuam Herald to mark National Palliative Care Week.
“What we are trying to dispel is the myth that a referral to palliative care means you are giving up. That’s not the case. It is about supporting people with live altering illness to live as long and well as they can. Address things like their pain, constipation, or breathlessness so they can live at home.
“There is also a misconception we only deal with people with cancer. Palliative care is not just about those with a cancer diagnosis, it’s for anyone with a life limiting diagnosis, be it respiratory, cardiology, motor neurone, Alzheimer’s or dementia.”
Over half the patients that come through the doors of Galway Hospice had a diagnosis other than cancer. Looking at the deaths last year in Galway, Mary revealed that 40 per cent had got support at some stage from Galway Hospice, showcasing the reach they have.
Again, the misconception is that they are only here to cater for patients in the final moments of life. However, this is far from the case as they offer a range of different services aimed at helping make lives better for those with life altering illnesses.
Full day care services
Among them are outpatients’ programmes such as the Breathe Better, which is focused on helping people struggling with breathlessness and fatigue and Empower, which supports those with anxiety, giving them techniques to help manage it and not let it dominate their lives despite their diagnosis.
They also run a full day care service, every Wednesday and Thursday, with anything up to 14 patients coming in each day. They will be brought in by volunteers if they have no transport themselves.
The hospice offers access to therapists and advisors when they arrive, but many patients come to socialise with people going through similar experiences to them.
“We offer art and music therapy, but aromatherapy is proving very popular recently, as that bit of pampering is just what a people need when they come through our doors,” added Mary.
“Some people come in and we do their hair and make-up for them, that too can be a massive confidence booster for people with life-limiting illnesses. A lot of patients are only with us for a few weeks, then once they have gotten the advice they need, go back to living at home.
More aware of care
While only 61 per cent of respondents to the AIIHPC survey believed palliative care can support someone with a serious life-limiting illness, the numbers that want access to palliative care were much higher.
Over 80 per cent of people in the Republic of Ireland would want access to palliative care if they or someone close to them needed it. The numbers were welcomed by Reverend Daniel Caldwell, Chaplain and Programme Chair for Palliative and End of Life Care at ATU (Atlantic Technical University).
“Just a few years ago this statistic was a lot closer to 50 per cent, so it's great people are becoming more willing to utilise this specialised and very badly needed type of care,” noted Daniel.
“The Palliative and End of Life Care Postgraduate course is helping train more people and break the stigma and myths around this type of care, as they educate those around them at home. But more still needs to be done to educate the wider public, so they know the huge impact palliative care has.
“We are seeing a bigger interest in our postgraduate course, particularly from nurses, who have taken a big interest in this field of care. That has come with the development and investment in hospices throughout the West of Ireland, be it Galway, Mayo or Roscommon.
“I think there is a continued need to train more staff, put more resources into getting more beds and investment in palliative care to deal with what will be growing demand.”
Palliative Care Week ran from Sunday September 6 to Saturday September 12. Its theme, ‘It’s Not What You Think,’ aimed to dispel persistent misconceptions around palliative care and encourage open conversations about services that help-those with life-limiting conditions.
“Don’t be afraid to ask your GP about palliative care services, they will know if it is appropriate for you and point you in the right direction of the people who can help,” added Mary.
“I think early intervention is so important too, as the earlier people are referred to services like ours, the better and longer life they will be able to have while battling their illness, in most cases living in their own homes too.
“Irish people don’t like to think about our inevitable deaths, so palliative care is something we tend not to talk about. If this campaign gets even a few more people to learn what is really involved in palliative care or takes away some old misconceptions then it was all worthwhile,” she concluded.